Compassionate Outreach ministries are designed to meet a variety of social and spiritual needs among parishioners and beyond parish membership. Those who are engaged in these ministries desire to touch all who are in need of the compassion of Jesus. Ministries include:

Food Pantry Ministry – The Food Pantry Committee organizes the collection and distribution of food to the local Pantries throughout the year. There are bins in the gathering spaces of each Parish Center and food is collected from the generous contributions of our parishioners. The food is transported to the pantries in Elmer and Woodstown. Members of this committee are encouraged to help shelve and distribute the food on open pantry days. The committee consists of a core group of people who organize the activity and everyone is welcome. Please contact Dan and Rosalie Zak at (856) 769-0875 or dansr@justescape.com.

IHN – Family Promise – is part of a national organization dedicated to serving the homeless. Locally, the network consists of 14 congregations in Gloucester County that help families regain stability. Families are accepted into the network at the Families Center where a full-time Director is able to provide daily support for their individual needs. Congregations like us provide ’welcoming care’ to the families at night from 8:30pm to 6am for a week at a time about 4 times a year. Volunteers from the parish go to the Parish Center in Mullica Hill each night during the hosting week and help support families that are in need. Each hosting week, 45 volunteers are needed to provide time and talent in the following areas: set-up, clean-up, meal preparation, van driving, fellowship during dinner, and overnight support. In our parish, the contact person is Katherine Golden. Her phone number is: (856) 218-2984; and her e-mail address is: FamilyPromise@holyspiritweb.org.

Senior Citizen’s Club – This ministry is a group whose purpose is to bring seniors together to provide educational and recreational programs, to exchange information, to explore areas in which seniors can serve others. Meetings are held on the 4th Thursday of the month from 1 – 4 PM in the Parish Center in Mullica Hill. No meetings are held in July and August. Meetings in November and December are held the 3rd Thursday because of the holidays. Members should be at least 55 years of age and live within the parish boundaries, but are not necessarily registered parishioners. Registered parishioners living outside the parish boundaries are also eligible. The contact person for this ministry is Marianne Dodge and she can be reached at (856) 769-3569 or meemadodge@aol.com

Social Justice Committee – This committee raises awareness of social justice issues and provides a means for our parish to address them. The contact person for this ministry is Stacie Zak and she can be reached at stacie@justescape.com.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society – is a community of lay Catholics whose mission is to join together in a bond of friendship and to grow spiritually by offering personal service to those who are in need and suffering. The Holy Spirit Parish conference of SVdP meets on the 1stWednesday of each month at 7:30 PM in the Mullica Hill Parish Center. Assistance is provided on a short term basis as our goal is to return the family members to self-sufficiency. The central and most basic activity of SVdP is the visitation of the needy in their homes. The works of the SVdP are supported by the generous contributions of our parishioners and through donations to the poor box & food pantry. For membership information, contact Leonora Picciano at (856) 264-5507.

The Staff of Life Ministry – provides the following: assistance in planning funeral services, a grief support group twice a year, a Remembrance Mass in the spring, a dinner in February for those living alone, and assistance with the celebration of All Souls Day. The Staff of Life also prepares a dinner in February for all those who live alone. All parishioners who have lost a loved one are encouraged to attend. And for All Souls Day, the Staff of Life assists Father with the blessing of the cemetery followed by a procession to Mass.The contact person is Mary Jane Block. Her phone number is (856) 423-2123 or mj@wrblock.com.

The Staff of Life Visitation Ministry – provides for the visitation of the sick and those in nursing homes by members of the congregation. Often, the visitors provide the Eucharist and some prayers. This is an opportunity to let those who cannot come to Mass know that we, their parish family, are thinking of them and praying for their special intentions.

We Care Ministry – This ministry meets to prepare cards for members of our community who are ill, home bound, or, for any reason, need a spiritual lift. The We Care Ministry meets monthly and is always looking for new members. Please contact Barbara Luciano at (856) 358-7101.

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The Catholic Community of the Holy Spirit is a Roman Catholic parish serving south-central Gloucester County and northeastern Salem County, New Jersey. Our parish community was formed in 2010 from the former parishes of St. Ann in Elmer, St. Joseph in Woodstown and Holy Name of Jesus in Mullica Hill. We are a part of the Camden Diocese, under the leadership of the Most Reverend Dennis Sullivan.